Some of Chicago's aldermanic races are getting intense -- or downright dirty, depending on your point of view.
Take the 32nd Ward, where incumbent Ald. Scott Waguespack is seeking re-election versus three challengers. In a recent e-blast, Waguespack said a Florida-based firm was "push polling" 32nd Ward residents, distorting his positions:
My opponents' push poll begins with a Florida-based caller asking questions about the mayoral election. It then quickly devolves into 15-20 minutes of distortions, personal attacks, and flat-out lies about my record and reform agenda. For example, the caller asserts that our ward "lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars that were supposed to be used to repair the ward", because I "never submitted requests to the city to fix potholes and sidewalks." This is false.
Over in the 27th Ward, Tom Courtney, who is challenging Ald. Walter Burnett, created a website that implies an endorsement from the City of Chicago, displaying a big official city seal in the upper left-hand corner, while subtly and not-so-subtly criticizing Burnett. The site does not specifically state it was created by Courtney; you have to click over to his official campaign page for that. While offering "Free Legal Advice," Courtney's site manages to bring up the armed robbery Burnett committed when he was a teenager and tries to link him to ex-Gov. George Ryan, who is in jail for corruption.
The site also -- ahem -- pulled a photo of Burnett from Chicago Journal, where this reporter formerly worked. Here's the original shot from the Journal and the one Courtney's site edited and uses.
(Full disclosure: the SEIU State Council, which sponsors this website, has endorsed both Waguespack and Burnett, as have a number of other organizations.)
UPDATE (4:43 p.m.): Courtney's site has removed the photo of Burnett from Chicago Journal.
The Chicago City Council will hold hearings on what are rumored to be
80 to 120 neighborhood school closings, according to Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th),
head of the council's education committee.
Consumers in five Chicago Wards will be seeing new bags to carry their purchases, though they may not notice the difference unless it’s pointed out to them.
An ordinance pushed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to make possession
of 15 grams or less of marijuana punishable by ticketed fines will
likely sail through city council tomorrow amid some concerns that the
$250 to $500 tickets are too steep a levy against the low-income, black
residents who are often targets of marijuana arrests.
The current group of Chicago aldermen has seemed pretty comfortable bucking the Daley administration on some important mayoral priorities over the last month or so. In March, members of the council's Committee on Aviation 
